Gas generation



y 1933. G. w. LORIMER I 1,912,081

GAS GENERATION Filed Sept. 24, 1929 as /o J3 0- 0 g 6/ 62. o 60 I 5/ HQ. 2 o

Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" GEORGE W. LORIMER, OF TROY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO BLACK PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION'OF ILLINOIS Gas GENERATION Application filed September 24, 1929. Serial No. 394,907.

This invention relates to gas generation, and particularly to the generation of combustible gas from a liquid fuel, such as gasoline and the like.

One object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus for generating gas from liquid fuel, having improved means responsive to the amount of liquid fuel in the system for controlling the gas generation,

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel float controlled regulating device adapted to be applied as a unit to the tank in which the gasoline or other fuel is contained, the arrangement being such that there are no moving parts requiring packing for the prevention of loss of pressure or of combustible gas.

Further objects andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawing, and the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views thereof- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a gas generating apparatus, embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the float regulating device; and

Fig. 3 is a section through one end of the bubbling pipe and the lower end of the cleaning pipe.

The present invention is concerned with a gas generating system embodying a bubbling means for bubbling air or similar combustion supporting gas, through a quantity of gasoline or other volatile liquid fuel, and is an improvement on my prior application for gas generation, Serial No. 303,826 filed September 4, 1928 and which matured into Patent No. 1,871,415 Aug. 9, 1932. As more fully set forth in that application, the gas is recirculated or by-passed back to the bubblingmeans from the space above the liquid in the gasoline tank, so that before the gas is consumed it is bubbled a number of times through the gasoline to increase its quality, and to effectively agitate and mix the liquid fuel The tailings of that portion of the gasoline or liquid fuel that is not as easily volatilized as the more volatile substances that make up the fuel, need not be wasted, but can be changed into gas by employing such means as this.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the gas tank is indicated at 10, being shown buried beneath the ground level indicated at 11. In domestic installations the other main parts of the gas generating anparatus are positioned within the building, but the tank 10 is positioned exteriorly of the building to minimize the fire hazard as well as for economy of space.

Pumping means such as the'blower or pump 20 driven by a suitable electric motor 21 or the like draws air through an intake pipe 22, controlled by a check valve 23, and forces the air from the discharge side of the pump through pipe 24 containing check valve 19, to a pressure equalizing tank 25, and from the pressure equalizing tank through pipe 26 to a perforated distributing pipe 27 disposed Within the bottom of the fuel tank 10 beneath the normal lower liquid level therein. The pressure equalizing tank 25 is adapted to smooth out the variations or pulses of the pump and provide a fairly even pressure at the tank 10.

The tank 10 is normally kept partially filled with liquid fuel, such as gasoline, as indicated at 30, to thereby provide a gas storage space 31 in the upper portion of the tank. Off-take pipe 32 leads from this space to a work device or place of use of the gas, such as a gas stove indicated at 33, the off-take pipe preferably having a suitable diaphragm regulator indicated at 34 for reducing the pressure of the gas supply. The liquid fuel may be replenished from time to time through the filler pipe 35. v

The gas that bubbles up through the gasoline is partly recirculated so that it may again pass up through the fuel, recirculating pipe 36 being in communication with the space 31 in the tank at one end,,and extending back to the inlet side of the pump. A hand valve 37 is preferably provided in this pipe. An electric or solenoid valve 38 if there should be a leak through connected to the motor line-branch wire 39 is adapted to close the passage through this pipe when the motor is deenergized, the control of the motor being automatically effected in accordance with the pressure in the system, pressure switch 40 being shown connected to equalizing tank 25 to control the starting and stopping of the motor for maintaining the pressure in the system be tween certain predetermined limits, say. between 2 and 6 pounds per square inch.

It will be understood that in operation, the pump forces air to the bubbling pipe 27 and causes a recirculation of the gas some of which is drawn back to the intake side of the pump. The motor is maintained in operationuntil the desired pressure of the system is attained, and it will then be deenergized by the action of the pressure switch. The space 31 remains full of combustible gas under pressure, and when some of this is consumed, and the pressure falls to a predetermined minimum, the motor will again be started. At the time the motor stops running the pressure in the tank 25 will be somewhat above that in the main tank 10, and the air or gas will bubble rather slowly through the fuel and keep the fuel Well stirred up even during the periods of inactivity of the pump. Then as the gas is consumed and withdrawn from the space 81 in thetank this causes a drop in pressure which will cause a further passage of gas from the equalizing tank 25 through the distributing pipe, and therefore even during the times of inactivity of the pump, the fuel will be agitated and well mixed for the effective generation of gas.

lVhen the pump stops operating the pressure tank should be at a somewhat lower pressure than the equalizing tank 25, and these conditions should prevail under all normal conditions of operation. However the pump so that there might be a loss in pressure in the equalizing tank 25, or for any other reason if such a loss of pressure should occur, it will be seen that the gasoline might be forced up the pipe 26 by the pressure that prevails .in the gasoline tank. That is, this back flow of gasoline might occur if the check valve 42 preferably provided at the bubbling pipe 27 should leak or for any other reason should fail to operate. This would cause a flow of gasoline from the buried tank into the cellar or room in which the pump and the associated parts of the apparatus are provided, and this of course is seriously objectionable in that it greatly increases the fire hazard as well as causes a loss of gasoline and the flooding of the cellar or room. To guard against this the pressures in the system are so balanced as to prevent any back-flow throughv the bubbling means. As shown, a pipe 14 communicates at one end with the gas in the tank space 31, and communicates at its other end with the outlet side of the pump or with the equalizing tank 25, and between the two ends of this pipe 44 there is a check valve 46 which prevents any flow from the equalizing tank over to the space31, but permits a flow towards the equalizing tank and towards the outlet. side of the pump; This prevents the pressure of the equalizing tank 25 from falling'below the pressure in the space 31, and this makes it impossible for the liquid fuel v to be raised the necessary amount above the level in the tank to enable it to travel to the equalizing tank or to the pump. I

When a fresh supply of gasolineis placed in the tank, the more volatile constituents pass oif first into the air bubbling through the fuel, leaving the heavier andless volatile constituents. WVhen the level of the fuel is high, very little, if any, recirculation of the gas through the recirculating pipe 36 is necessary or desirable. But when the fuel level is low and the greater portion of the gasoline in the tank is made up of heavier or less volatile constituents, substantial recirculation of the gas through the fuel is required to provide for substantial uniformity in the quality of the gas generated. The recirculation is preferably controlled automatically by means of a float 48, which is responsive to the quantity of liquid in the tank. This float is supported on the end of an arm 49 which is pivoted at 50 to a depending arm 51 on the cover member 52. This cover member 52 covers the cylindrical extension 53 of the tank, being connected in a readily detachable manner to this extension by means of a threaded clamping cap 54 engaging treads on the cylindrical extension 53. A suitable packingwasher 55 is shown between the cover member 52 and the tank extension 53. There is a passage 56 in the cover member, the outer end of this passage terminatr ing in a pipe connection 57v to which thepipe 36 may be readily fastened. The inner end of this passage 56 is formed as a pipe 60 having-a series of openings 61 along the side,

and a bottom closure 60. Around this pipe I 7 60 is a sleeve 62 which 'slidably fits on the .pipe and which is adapted to be. moved up and down on the pipe by the link 63 which is pivoted to the arm 49 of the float. The sleeve 62 is provided with openings 62' at the lower end thereof opposite the closure 60 of pipe 60, in order to equalize the pressure in the space 6 1 with the pressure in the space 31 of the tank to provide for freedom of movement of the sleeve 62 in accordance with the liquid level. WVhen the float is in its upper position and the tank is substantially full of fuel, all of the openings 61 will be closed by the sleeve 62, and practically vented, such recirculation being unnecessary until the more easily volatilized constituents of the fuel have been taken off. However, as

some of the fuel is consumed, and the float 4:8

lowers, the sleeve 62 will gradually uncover 5 more and more openings 61 and an increasing recirculation of the gas will result, until at last, when the float is near the bottom of the tank and only the tailings of the fuel remain, all of the holes will be opened and the gas in the upper portion of the tank 10 will be recirculated a number of times before it is actually consumed.

By reason of this construction of the recirculation control device, no packed connections for moving parts are required in the construction of the tank 10, and the pressure in the tank may be held without danger of loss of either the gas or the fuel. The control mechanism is all contained within the tank, and preferably all constructed as a unit so that the float and the various associated parts may be mounted on the cover member 52 before the latter is applied to the tank. The size of the float 48 is somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the cylindrical extension 53, and the pivotal connections to the float arm 49 are such that the float and its connections may be readily inserted within the cylindrical extension of the tank and the cover member then firmly held in place by the clamping cap 52L Although it is contemplated that substantially all of the tailings of the gasoline may be ultimately consumed, it is occasion- 55 ally desirable to clean out any matter remaining in the tank when the liquid level is substantially coincident with the top of the bubbling pipe 27. A cleaning pipe is therefore provided, extending upwardly through the top wall of the tank from a point adjacent the bottom of the tank. This pipe terminates at its lower end in an elbow bracket 71 which preferably is fixed on the bottom of the tank and which preferably forms a positioning means for the end of the bubbling pipe 27. Preferably the hubbling pipe is somewhat smaller in size than the threaded opening 73 of the bracket fitting, and preferably the adjacent end of the bubbling pipe 27 is closed by a plug 74. At its opposite end the bubbling pipe 27 is connected to the check valve 42 which in turn.

is connected to an elbow bracket fitting 75 secured to the tank bottom and connected in turn to the lower end of the pipe 26. In this way the bubbling pipe is definitely positioned at the bottom of the tank. The cleaning pipe 7 0 extends up above the surface of the ground and is provided with a valve or suitable manual control 76 that may be opened to permit the discharge of the liquid remaining in the tank, the valve preferably being connected to a bent discharge pipe 77 beneath which a suitable con- 65 tainer can be held to collect the matter discharged from the tank, This matter is forced up through this pipe 70 when the valve 6 is opened due to the pressure prevailing-in the tank 10, and by reason of this arrangement it will be seen that even though i the tank is buried in an inaccessible location it may be readily cleaned and any residue or tailings remaining in the tank can be very easily removed whenever desired.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims. 7

What is claimed is:

1. In a gas generating apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to. re-

ceive liquid fuel, bubbling means in said tank, a cover for a portion of the tank, said cover having a passage therethrough and a pipe connection on the exterior thereof, a pipe extending within the tank and forming a continuation of said passage, a bracket on the inside of said cover, a float pivotally supported by said bracket, a sleevewithin the tank operable by said float and cooperating with said pipe, said pipe having openings adapted to be controlled by said sleeve in accordance with the level of liquid fuel,

and means for holding said cover on said tank.

2. In a gas generating apparatus of the character described, a tank, a perforated bubbling pipe in said tank, an intake pipe extending through a tank wall at the top of the tank, and connected at one end of said bubbling pipe, an elbow bracket interconnecting the bubbling pipe and the intake pipe, said elbow bracket having a base portion fixed to the bottom of the tank, a cleaning pipe extending from a point adjacent the bottom of the tank to a point well above the top of the tank and exterior thereof, and a manually controlled valve for controlling the flow through said cleaning pipe.

3. In a gas generating apparatus of the character described, a tank, a perforated bubbling pipe in said tank, an intake pipe extending through a tank wall at the top of the tank, and connected at one end of said bubbling pipe, an elbow bracket fixed to the 4. In a gas vgenerating apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to receive liquid fuel, a supply passage through which fuel may be introduced into said tank, an inlet pipe through which air may be introduced into said tank, a perforated distributing pipe adjacent the bottom of said tank connected With said air inlet pipe, a check valve provided near the inlet end of said distributing pipe, closure means for the opposite end of said distributing pipe, holding means for the opposite end of said distributing pipe, and a cleaning pipe connected to said holding means and extending to a point outside of said tank, and a control valve in said cleaning pipe.

5. In a gas generating apparatus of the class described, a tank adapted to contain I liquid fuel, bubbling means in said tank, a cover closing an opening in said tank, said cover having a passage therethrough terminating in a short pipe connecting projection adapted to be secured to an external pipe, a float Within said tank, supporting means for said float comprising an arm extending directly from said cover and substantially perpendicular thereto, valve means Within said tank for controlling communication between the said passage and the interior of the tank and comprising a member extending into said tank from said cover and in communication With said passage,'and means cooperating therewith and connected to said float for operation thereby.

In'testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature;

GEORGE W. LORIMER. 

